Funebrarum - Beckoning the Void of Eternal Silence (2026) Review

After 17 years of anticipation, the dream has finally become reality. Among the countless bands and albums of the "cavernous" death metal movement throughout the 2010s, Funebrarum's first two albums have been endlessly cited as predecessors and essential points of reference. Their 2009 masterpiece, The Sleep of Morbid Dreams, in particular (alongside Dead Congregation's Graves of the Archangels), is so complete that it almost renders further listening of this genre unnecessary. You don't feel the need to listen to anything similar once you have consumed it. 

Nevertheless, the band's return with their long-awaited third full-length record, Beckoning the Void of Eternal Silence, presents them in probably their most overwhelming form to date. Aesthetic presentation is immediately captivating, with the subtly refined logo (by Turkka G. Rantanen — RIP) and Daryl Kahan himself drawing the magnificent black metal-ish, frostbitten front cover. The production is equally impressive, to a point that I may prefer it to The Sleep of Morbid Dreams. That characteristic dusty guitar tone, the subtle echoing sound of the snare drum and the sense of space between the instruments, makes the album sound more natural in execution (even though the band's earlier work had that undeniable crushing aggression). 

Vocal work has descended into a near-constant torrent of gutturals reminiscent of Demilich, and more recently, Artificial Brain, beneath of which crawl colossal old-school death metal riffs that frequently submerge in doom-adjacent necrosis. The record is also characterized by remarkably hyperactive and expressive lead guitar work, undoubtedly aided by the contributions of Phil Tougas (Worm, Chthe'ilist, Zeicrydeus, a lot more), who clearly adds a sense of heightened guitar activity. Meanwhile, drumming by C. Koryn of Ascended Dead is phenomenal, and ex-Untergang bassist Sam Osborne is also involved in the songwriting pedigree. 

At several points, particularly within the album's interludes, Beckoning the Void of Eternal Silence briefly assumes the full mantle of symphonic black metal with nightmarish keyboard melodies. More than once, I was reminded of Cruciamentum in the way track parts were built and unleashed, and the record concludes with an absolutely masterful, almost nine-minute instrumental, nothing short of a perfect closing statement. For the sake of discourse, I find myself eager to elevate this album above Funebrarum's back catalog. 

Between the exceptional quality of the music and collective death metal brainpower of the musicians involved, the expanded vision and subtle infusion of a black metal flair, Beckoning the Void of Eternal Silence achieves in embodying the spirit of total death. This is what the end sounds like.

Release: May 29th, 2026 | Pulverised Records
Website: Facebook
Rating: 4.5 out of 5